Welcome to Common Mistakes - a blog for my take on events and the world. Read and comment at your pleasure.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Top Ten Sarah Palin Scandals

And now, for those of you who want some vetting of this unknown person who's just been jetted into the national limelight, here are the top ten Sarah Palin scandals (and for a woman who's been in office for less than two years, it's an impressive list):

November 5: This woman is still creating new scandals! McCain aides reveal "Hillbilly-gate" - Palin's family raided Neiman Marcus during the final weeks of the campaign, spending hundreds of thousands in RNC campaign funds. Yep, that was the "reform" McCain wanted to bring to Washington. 'Cause politicians just aren't looting from the public enough.

#9. Kidgate. Palin is staunchly anti-abortion and has a Down Syndrome child to prove it. Certainly making a choice to give birth to and raise such a child is courageous - and will be at least as appealing as Biden's personal backstory - but many women will wonder how she can decide to leave such a child while campaigning for the White House, and at her judgement to get pregnant in her mid-forties, after already having four children, knowing the risk of having a child with such a disease (or was this an example of what happens when right-to-lifers don't use contraception?). Many think that all this, combined with her membership in "Feminists for Life," an anti-abortion group, seems like she's exploiting a baby for ideology. This could turn most women off, although some Clinton aides see this scandal as sexist. Coming in at number nine as it's still getting play in the media, though down a bit given that there are other, more salient political scandals coming out, and Republicans are determined to turn this story into a feel-good plus, while whitewashing her anti-abortion background. (Sept 10: Regarding that: Andrew Sullivan argues that her decision to have Trig is a plus for Palin. Lucia deVernai in the American Chronical argues that Palin's example of ditching Trig while she campaigns hurts women by being hypocritical about family values. My assessment: if this issue gets spun around baby Trig and the family, Palin will come out like a celebrity mom. If it focuses on Palin's views about abortion and women's roles, she'll be seen as out of the mainstream. But so far the former, not the latter, seems to be winning in the press.)

#8. Censorgate. She asked her town librarian if the library "could live with censorship of library books.” (Note that factcheck.org disputes that the librarian was fired. Wait...fact-checking factcheck, now it appears she DID fire the librarian, but then re-hired her after an outcry). Still, coming in at eight as it signals most succinctly to voters that she's the darling of the hard right. And this fired/not-fired fracas is just keeping it in the news.

#7. Mayberrygate: Palin fired the Wasilla police chief because he was trying to clean up drinking and concealed weapons in the town. Coming in at number seven because it's the delicious kind of small-town backdealing story that seems to be where this campaign will be headed.

#6. Hockeygate. The Hockey rink she built in Wasilla required raising taxes and sinking the town in debt. Can we say "George W. Bush"-style conservatism?

#4. Bridge-to-Nowheregate. She was for it before she was against it. Coming in at number four since she brought it up again in her speech: this one will receive real press scrutiny. (Hey: and it's starting to, with Obama bringing it up today.)

#3. Porkgate - Palin lobbied Washington for frivolous funds. All this coming in at number three since it contradicts the whole Republican theme that this is a team of outside "reformers."

#1. Troopergate. She fired her public safety commissioner because he refused to fire a state trooper who was the ex-husband of her sister and engaged in a bitter custody battle. Can we say "Bush Administration"? Still number one because it's going to produce the biggest bang when reports are released in October.

Haven't heard about Troopergate? Want more on the deliciously "Northern Exposure Meets Nixon"-esque intricacies of the abuse-of-power scandal rocking sleepy Alaska? Read about it here.

So - what scandals didn't make the list?

Whinergate. She called Hillary Clinton a whiner. THIS is the candidate who's supposed to win over disgruntled Clinton supporters? Can we say "Phil Graham"? Falling off the list today since there are other, bigger things for Clinton supporters to dislike about her.

Junogate. I agree with Obama: family should be out of bounds. I think camp McCain has chastised the media enough...and there are enough other scandals...that this will effectively be put to bed.

Dairygate - Apparently she mismanaged a failing state-run dairy. This one seems a little bit obscure and hard to fact-check to me. Haven't seen much else about it.

Affairgate. National Enquirer breaks "story" she had an affair with her husband's business partner. But it's the National Enquirer. Let's wait till ABC picks up the story.

Cluelessgate. She sounds totally clueless talking about Iraq or foreign policy. After her speech at the convention, people will question this less (and team McCain is hiding her from the press to prep her with answers.)

Buchanangate. She was a big supporter of Pat Buchanan's 1996 rather hard-right, somewhat anti-semitic run for office. That ought to win over voters in Florida. However, this fact is now being denied by the McCain campaign, so this one will probably go away.

Superstitiongate. Not only is Palin anti-science, she wants to teach Creationism in schools. (Correction: Factcheck.org says she is "open" to teaching Creationism along side evolution. Well, since Creationism is a religion, not a science, I find the "openness" to obfuscate science with religion pretty appalling. No wonder our country is falling behind.) However, since there are more Americans who would accept Creationism than censorship, Censorgate takes the list.

Sexual Scandalgate. She appointed a known sexual-harassment offender to office then had to fire him. But this hasn't gotten much pick up so far.

Secessiongate - Turns out Palin didn't belong to this anti-American organization promoting that Alaska secede from the union, even though her husband did.

Perdiemgate - Palin charged the state of Alaska for herself, her daughter, and her husband while working at home. I can see the point since she seems to be bilking the taxpayers for the most she can get. But there do seem to be reasonable things she was doing (i.e., attending NCAA basketball tournaments - hey, it's what governors do). As a small business person, I kind of sympathise with taking the per diem. It's not like she's as wealthy as John McCain, or anything. I think this may be a tempest in a teapot.

Rapetestgate - As Mayor of Wasilla, Palin had the police chief charge women for their own rape kit (up to $1,200). One to keep an eye on: if more comes of this, could move into the Top 10.

NEW! Gibsongate - in her first interview with Charlie Gibson, Palin sounds a bit out of it, saying we should go to war over Georgia and flubbing the Bush Doctrine question. Not only that, she blatantly lies to his face. But the press is treating her with kid gloves and giving her a pass (some even are trying to spin it as "a badge of honor" to not know anything about foreign policy). Or is this sexism? Is it 'cause she's a woman that she can get away with lying and doesn't need to know about foreign policy? (They wouldn't be saying this about Hillary, would they?)

Okay, I suppose based on reader comments I need to address Babyswicthgate - the idea that Bristol Palin is the actual mother of Trig, not Sarah Palin. Besides (to me) the "who cares" factor, I just don't see anything on the net that suggests that this is anything other than a rumor. So, I wouldn't call that a scandal (a scandal needs to involve an actual accusation based on fact). I'd call it a "conspiracy theory" (which is an idea someone is pulling something over on people, that gains traction based on circumstantial evidence). I do love conspiracy theories, but this is a page devoted to scandals. If you want more conspiracy theories, see my Top 10 Conspiracies for 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2004.

Also, regarding the reader's suggestion of Trackgate in comments below - I pretty much place all these in the same category as Junogate: fodder for the tabloids (no doubt, if McCain is elected, we'll have years of such fun), but not salient scandals about Palin herself. As Obama says: let's leave the kids out of this. Remember how Republicans (including McCain) vilified Chelsea Clinton? Obama has more class than McCain. And I pretty much think going there backfires on Democrats. However...if you are a scandal junky and just can't help yourself and want ALL the juicy scandals about the Palin family, The National Enquire sure isn't shy about going there.

As I've said, the hardest thing about this page is keeping it up to date....

And hey, a shout-out to my Republican friends who've made their way to this web page. I've got a couple of very special web links just for you: here...and here.Original list from August 30th:

#7. Buchanangate. She was a big supporter of Pat Buchanan's 1996 rather hard-right, somewhat anti-semitic run for office. That ought to win over voters in Florida. (Update: this fact is now being denied by the McCain campaign. Until there's evidence one way or another we should probably remove this from the list in favor of Porkgate at #2 - see below.)

#6. Whinergate. She called Hillary Clinton a whiner. THIS is the candidate who's supposed to win over disgruntled Clinton supporters? Can we say "Phil Graham"?

#5. Kidgate. Not only is she staunchly anti-choice, she recently had a Down's Syndrome child. While making a choice to give birth to and raise such a child is certainly courageous - and will be at least as appealing as Biden's personal backstory - many women will wonder how she can decide to leave such a child while campaigning for the White House. And you have to wonder at her judgement to get pregnant in her mid-forties, after already having four children, knowing the risk of having a child with such a disease (or was this an example of what happens when right-to-lifers don't use contraception?) Won't all this, along with her membership in a notorious anti-choice organization called "Feminists for Life," seem like she's exploiting a baby for ideology, and turn most women off?

#4. Superstitiongate. Not only is Palin anti-science, she wants to teach Creationism in schools.

#3. Sexual Scandalgate. She appointed a known sexual-harassment offender to office then had to fire him.

#1. Troopergate. She fired her public safety commissioner because he refused to fire a state trooper who was the ex-husband of her sister and engaged in a bitter custody battle. Can we say "Bush Administration"?

Troopergate, you say? Just you wait: Want more on the deliciously "Northern Exposure Meets Nixon"-esque intricacies of the abuse-of-power scandal rocking sleepy Alaska? Read about it here.

93 comments:

Beautifully written, the only thing missing is her failed attempt at Lt. Gov. in 2002 and her years as Chairman, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2003-2004; Chair, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission; andVice Chair, National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee. Positions she was appointed to by the very same politicians who later pushed her out, and against whom she ran against on a platforom of ending corruption. I smell a rat!

Intrestingly, and of great importance - her association with these organizations has been systematically scrubbed from her wikipedia and official Gov. page on the net. Gee, now why would that be? It couldn't be that she's for big oil - gasp!

Finally, I have to add - when you know that you are having a child with Down's syndrome, you do not delay medical care when your 'water' prematurely ruptures, and you most certainly don't take an air flight home from TX to Alaska. Delivery of a normal infant at 7.5 months is very touch and go in a normal pregnancy, certainly involves baby's stay in the NICU for awhile, and when combined with a condition as Down's becomes even more grave. So, that story is either a falsehood OR she knowingly endangered her 5th child's life to fly home and left a premature, high needs infant to return to work three days later. Either scenario raises relevant concerns about her ethics and judgement.

She was also involved heavily with disgraced Sen. Ted Stevens who is currently under investigation. She raised tons of money for him in a company called "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc". I lol'd. They also appeared in commercials together. See here:

Calling it "anti-choice" is about as liberal as it gets. The term is Pro-Life, "anti-choice" would make it sound like women don't have a choice, when they do. Ok ok, now you're going to say "what about rape victims?" According to studies, that can be found on this website, http://www.boundless.org/regulars/kaufman/a0000848.html, 70-85% of rape victims choose to give birth rather than have abortions. Add to that the fact that .3% of abortions are from rape victims. That information comes from the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit organization. So there goes your argument. Women have a choice, it's a very simple choice. Have sex, and face the possibility of having a baby, or don't have sex and you don't have to worry about it. "Anti-Choice"...spoken like a true liberal.

It’s scary the direction this country has taken with the McBush/McCain supports. Sarah Palin lacks political experience, is a disgrace to the female race, a lying redneck evangelical, and a horrible irresponsible mother. She’s anti choice, a servant of the oil companies, denies global warming, abuses her political power, gets pregnant in her mid 40’s (having already had 4 healthy grown children) knowing damn well the risks and bringing a Down syndrome child into term. To top it off she abandons the poor infant after 3 days and goes back to work. The list goes on…

Now her teenage daughter is pregnant and the laughing stock of the media. Oops! Apparently mom’s preaching of abstinence did not work and mom is enjoying making a public spectacle of her daughter -- teaching her a lesson perhaps? Before the news of Bristol’s pregnancy, Palin made a comment that she would not want her daughter to have an abortion even if she had been raped. Given lack of options, its obvious Bristol has no choice but to suffer the consequences; have a child and get married. How does it work that it’s not against their religion to have pre-marital sex but it’s against their religion to have an abortion even in cases of rape, Down syndrome or teen pregnancy?

And now, for those of you who want some vetting of this unknown person who's just been jetted into the national limelight, here are the top ten Sarah Palin scandals (and for a woman who's been in office for less than two years, it's an impressive list):

Me: Obama is clueless as well. If you remember he said the surge in Iraq wouldn’t work. Besides you provide no evidence to support such a claim.

Article: #9. Censorgate. She asked her town librarian if the library "could live with censorship of library books.

Me: So she asked the question, so what? No scandal here, not even close, and once again no evidence to support a claim which says nothing anyway.

Article: #7. Buchanangate. She was a big supporter of Pat Buchanan's 1996 rather hard-right, somewhat anti-semitic run for office. That ought to win over voters in Florida.

Me: This is almost laughable, there is no evidence what so ever that says Buchanan is anti-semitic. Either provide some proof or shut-it.

Article: #6. Whinergate. She called Hillary Clinton a whiner. THIS is the candidate who's supposed to win over disgruntled Clinton supporters? Can we say "Phil Graham"?

Me: Hillary and Bill were both whining about the media during the primaries.

Article: #5. Kidgate. Not only is she staunchly anti-choice, she recently had a Down's Syndrome child. While making a choice to give birth to and raise such a child is certainly courageous - and will be at least as appealing as Biden's personal backstory - many women will wonder how she can decide to leave such a child while campaigning for the White House. And you have to wonder at her judgement to get pregnant in her mid-forties, after already having four children, knowing the risk of having a child with such a disease (or was this an example of what happens when right-to-lifers don't use contraception?) Won't all this, along with her membership in a notorious anti-choice organization called "Feminists for Life," seem like she's exploiting a baby for ideology, and turn most women off?

Me: Anyone whom chooses to refer to pro-life as anti-choice, will be deemed pro-death to me. Many women will relate to her because this is not the 50's anymore, most women work full time and try to balance that with their home life.

Article: #4. Superstitiongate. Not only is Palin anti-science, she wants to teach Creationism in schools.

Me: Well you can call is superstition if you want, I call it a belief in God which 90% of Americans do. So how does this hurt her?

Article: #3. Sexual Scandalgate. She appointed a known sexual-harassment offender to office then had to fire him.

Me: I have not heard anything about this, but since she fired him it is moot.

Article: #2. Oilgate. She's vetoed legislation for wind and solar energy and is securely in the pockets of big oil (her husband works for British Petroleum). She's even willing to let polar bears die for oil.

Me: This is BS, Obama has used this same talking point against McCain, yes they have voted against some energy bills, but only because evevitably these bills are so filled with pork that any responsible conservative can not support them.

Article: #1. Troopergate. She fired her public safety commissioner because he refused to fire a state trooper who was the ex-husband of her sister and engaged in a bitter custody battle. Can we say "Bush Administration"?

Me: An ex-husband who physically and mentally abused her sister and she was well within her right to fire that person. She did not break any laws, so back to the drawing board, sheep.

This is a switch a roo. Only that this is going to backfire because he didn't realize just how much baggage and weird scenerios this person has on them. Why is no one talking about the circumstances of when she was in labor. Being in Tx whenn her labor broke, then gave a thirty minute speech because she "had to deliver her speech", trecking on and taking a commercial flight and layover in Seattle, then to Alaska. Arriving in Alaska and driving 45 additional minutes to Wasilla's hospital is a POOR judgement dangerous to both her and her unborn handicapped child and shows her real ambition. Leaving family morals behind and using the child as a way to get sympathy from the evangelical group because she supposedly didn't abort it... but yet she pulled her daughter Bristol out of school for FIVE months with MONO... which at worst lasts ten days... Tell me this isn't fishy and again if it is true.. what is her judgement?

Palin's ambition borders on tragic. From her choices, it seems as if she really cares only about her own advancement, not the Republican Party, Alaska, not about the environment, and certainly not about her family. If she had more brains than ambition, she would realize the elderly McCain made a large tactical error offering her VP over the imminently more qualified legislators Hutchinson or Snowe. Maybe Palin thinks VP is just a beauty contest? Who knows...

They say America gets the government it deserves-- maybe we deserve the lightly qualified, desperately ambitious Palin as president.

john mccain is not a stupid guy and the fact that he's picked her as the best candidate tells volumes. as a woman with children and a job, i find it extremely insulting that she calls herself a feminist when she's a) racist b) all about herself c) anti-choice and d) is against every fabric of feminism except.. oh she has a job too. stop using the i'm a woman so vote for me trick palin! get a life!

I guess to some of you being pro-choice only applies to choosing to have an abortion not choosing to have a child. Last time I checked what everyone in the pro-CHOICE movement was fighting for was the right to be in charge of your own reproductive system. That should include the right to bring a child into this world regardless of the fact that it will be born with developmental problems. It is her CHOICE to have a child in her 40's even if she has other children already, I didn't see anyone making a big fuss out of Halle Berry or Nicole Kidman having kids in their 40's.

You rock! This article--and the research you did for it--is brilliant. Just a guy with opinions. Har! This post needs to be blasted across the universe. Just think, if Palin were running the country, just like she ran Alaska--for all 1.5 years--we'd have enough resources left for, oh, about five years. Shall we say, "Return to the Middle Ages"?

In brief: “The Alaska’s Board of Agriculture and Conservation (BAC) used its authority over the state-owned dairy to turn down the failing company’s request for a $600,000 grant to keep it afloat. Incensed, Palin fired the entire BAC. The new BAC, composed of the relatives and friends of Wasila-area dairy farmers, took the powers of the Creamery Board to itself – a confict of interest that would have appointees in most states in jail or at least paying hefty fines. Dairy experience wasn’t required of the new board members. The board resurrected Mat Maid and handed over the $600,000. It raised the price of milk paid to the local dairy farms, in a transfer of wealth from non-farming taxpayers to those who had found favor in Palin’s eyes. Despite Palin’s efforts, in December Mat Maid’s directors shut it down. The state’s $600,000 grant, the grant the previous board had denied it, went down the drain – or, more likely, into the pockets of Palin’s family and neighbors.”

It is always curious how self-righteously offended Republicans and conservatives in general become (and how quickly) if they sense an opportunity to play the victim of those "scurrilous liberals" who have no sense of decency and attack harmless, helpless children who are simply unlucky enough to be the off-spring of a politician. Personally, I agree with the very clear and unequivocal position stated by Senator Obama. Families, and especially children, should be off-limits. And that is how the Obama/Biden campaign has responded.

The truth is, for all the teeth-gnashing and hair-pulling the McCain/Palin supporters display, I have heard very little media attention directed at Palin’s pregnant daughter. And I have been glued to the television and/or radio since the announcement for Palin last Friday. There were a day or two of questions about how and when McCain found out about the situation and if he had foreknowledge as part of his vetting process and that was completely appropriate. After all his judgment is part of what the electorate is itself judging. And there were some questions about how Governor Palin's family situation squares with her inflexible stand in favor of abstinence only programs and against sex education of any kind in schools. As a matter of policy discussion and learning about where a candidate stands on issues that also seemed appropriate. Beyond that, the so-called "mainstream liberal media" has spent very little time on the family situation or on Palin's teenage daughter. In fact, surrogates for the McCain/Palin campaign are the ones most often raising the subject of her daughter’s pregnancy as they seek to create a groundswell of anti-media backlash.

Of course, there are always one or two idiots (mostly of the internet blogger sort) who go over the line and make everyone frustrated, sometimes even nauseous. I seem to remember a whole slew of really nasty internet lies spread about Obama's family, his religious affiliations, even his name; accusations alleging he was a closet Muslim, a kind of Manchurian candidate for terrorists and various other vicious and malicious and false rumors. And I do not recall that Senator McCain stepped up to the plate in any way to let us all know that he was against that kind of unscrupulous and dishonorable conduct. Nonetheless, Obama has stepped up, disavowed those who do practice that kind of politics and gone as far as promising to fire anyone connected to his campaign who does so.

But the McCain campaign is cleverly, if disingenuously, putting in play another strategy: that of setting up the media as a straw man by claiming they are the source of endless vicious attacks on Palin's family. Actually, most of these so-called attacks are not about Sarah Palin's daughter at all. They are mostly questions concerning a vast array of other stories slowly making their way to the public via the press. Let's not forget, that is their job – to uncover the real story and not simply accept the candidate’s version of reality. These stories are in various phases of investigative reporting.

They include:

• Palin using her high office to fire a government employee because he resisted firing another employee who was involved in a custody battle with a member of Palin’s family.

• Firing the Wasilla Library Director (when Palin was the Mayor there) because she refused to ban books that Palin and her friends or associates personally found objectionable

• Referring to the war in Iraq as a conflict mandated by God

• Advocating the teaching of creationism as an alternative and equally viable theory to evolution

• The populist claim that she sold the state jet on EBay and even turned a profit, turns out to be a lie. She tried but failed to sell the jet on EBay and ended up selling it to a wealthy political supporter at a $600,00 loss. That was not as dramatic or telegenic a story but it did have the advantage of being the truth.

And contrary to her previous statements, she was very much for the bridge-to-nowhere as long as Congress (meaning you and me) was going to foot the bill. She claims she told congress thanks but no thanks. The truth is exactly the other way around. Only when congress said no thanks to the Alaskan request for an earmark for the bridge did she decide that it was no longer a viable project. The reformer disguise she has assumed is belied by the facts: as Mayor of Wasilla (population less than 7,000) she hired a lobbyist to go after earmarks for her town and got $27 million worth. That is over $4,000 worth of earmarks for every citizen of Wasilla. No wonder they love her. The most lavish of the earmarks she secured (over half of the total) was for a railroad connecting Wasilla to the town of Girdwood (population 2000) which has a ski resort. Surprise, surprise, Girdwood is also the hometown of Ted Stevens, the corrupt Alaskan senator now awaiting trial and probably prison. Aren’t you glad your tax dollars could help connect Wasilla with Girdwood by rail? It only cost $15 million dollars to make it easier for a town of less than 7000 residents to go skiing in a town of less than 2000 residents. So Palin as an anti-earmark reformer is a creation of the right-wing media working with the McCain/Palin campaign in an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of American voters.

There are more revelations to come, stay tuned: the true vetting of Governor Sarah Palin has just begun. These are not illegitimate issues. If a candidate claims to be one thing but is really something quite different, the press is the proper, indeed the only, viable means to uncover those discrepancies or inconsistencies. If a candidate can’t tell the truth when telling small, simple stories then that is a legitimate subject for scrutiny. In any case, by blurring the very few illegitimate attacks on her pregnant daughter with the many completely legitimate reports that do not mesh well with the story they want to tell about the Governor, the McCain camp can claim that she is simply the victim of liberal press that is seeking to destroy her. It is a transparent attempt to try to scare the media off of any negative stories at all, regardless of their legitimacy. It is a probably a good strategy but there is a serious gap between that approach and the transparency and honesty McCain just promised in his acceptance speech.

However, (a huge, important however) the real irony, the real hypocrisy, inherent in the squeals of horror from the McCain/Palin camp is revealed by the fact that John McCain and Sarah Palin are themselves guilty of the kind of vile nastiness that they are condemning. And not through surrogates or uncontrollable elements of their entourage or crazy, right wing internet pit bulls. No-- these incidents were up-close and personal, perpetrated or at least tolerated (in Palin’s case) by the two nominees for president and vice-president of the Republican Party.

In January of this year, Governor Sarah Palin appeared on a talk radio program called “The Bob and Mark Show”.

(I listened to this interview via the internet when it was available so I am not guessing at either the words or the tone. It has since been removed due to what is referred to as copyright issues, meaning the station in Alaska threatened lawsuit in order to keep the rest of us from hearing the unspeakable discourse they sponsored).

The subject of discussion was the Alaska State Senate president, Lyda Green, with whom Palin has numerous legislative disagreements. Bob Lester, the radio host, despises Ms. Green and early in the interview referred to her as a jealous woman and a cancer. Governor Palin knew that Lyda Green was a cancer survivor but did not call on her Christian values to tell Mr. Lester that perhaps he should frame his comments differently. She was silent. So Lester continued his attack, in fact, intensified it, questioning if Ms. Green cared about her children. Sarah Palin’s response was to laugh. Then, setting the stage for his final assault, Mr. Lester tells Palin that he will say what Palin cannot, that Lyda Green is a cancer and a bitch. Palin giggles again. As a little afterthought, Lester described Ms. Green’s chair as big and cushy in a direct reference to her weight. The Governor, exhibiting a veritable flood of Christian charity, laughs a third time.

Governor Palin subsequently released a statement, a kind of weak-kneed effort that said she did not condone name-calling (she obviously did) and apologized if there was a “perception that the comments were attributed to the Governor.” They eventually tried to spin it as Palin being caught off guard by Bob Lester’s attacks. But since the attacks started slowly, calling Ms. Green jealous and a cancer and gradually escalating the assault to questioning her as a mother and finally calling her a bitch and repeating the cancer remark it is more than a little dubious for Palin to claim she was sideswiped. Palin had plenty of time to get her bearings, find her balance and do the right thing which would have been to stop the attack and repudiate the attacker. But instead of that, instead of distancing herself from the radio assassin who perpetrated this verbal thuggery, Lester finishes the interview asking if he could come to visit Palin. Her response? “I’d be honored.” That is hardly how you respond to an indecent attack that goes on for several minutes if you are caught off guard. But Sarah Palin was not caught off guard. She was simply enjoying the vicious dissection of a political enemy by a media hack. “I’d be honored”, indeed.

So what does it say about Sarah Palin, that she sat by, listened to a mean-spirited, personal attack on her political opponent and did nothing but laugh. If nothing else, it puts a different face on her umbrage at the media’s discussion about her pregnant daughter. More than that, it draws much-needed attention to her personal make-up. A politician acting ruthlessly is nothing new but taken with the other stories of firings and petty score-keeping, it seems to show a pattern. It speaks to temperament. It speaks to character. And McCain is attempting to make those things the center of his platform.

Mr. McCain’s encounter with family values is just as repellent and quite a bit more directly relevant. Speaking at a Republican dinner in June, 1998, he made a joke about Chelsea Clinton. He asked, “Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?” And he answered the question, saying, “Because her father is Janet Reno.”

Chelsea Clinton was eighteen. She had done nothing. She was a gracious, well-spoken, intelligent young woman. She was not pregnant like Bristol Palin is now. She was not cited for underage drinking like Jenna Bush would be a few years later. Her great sin, the thing that seemed to make her a legitimate target in John McCain’s view was that she was the daughter of a sitting President with whom McCain had political differences. Reason enough to make a devastating joke about a family member? Apparently so. Most news outlets would not print the remarks, either because they thought it was just too repellent or because they wanted to protect McCain.

Media interest is focused on a big kettle of other stories which will be brought forth as their investigations mature. So no more whining about how the press is attacking the family of Sarah Palin. They are not. But it sure would serve them right.

One more thing: Sarah Palin, in her well-received (if over-rated) acceptance speech was sarcastic in the extreme about Barack Obama’s community organizing. Can we look take a slightly closer look at that comment and not accept, without scrutiny, glib, facile one-liners?

Her words: I guess a small town mayor is kind of like a community organizer except that you have actual responsibilities.

The truth is going to come back to haunt the sharp tongued Mrs. Palin.

Barack Obama, graduated from high school and had good enough academic credentials to get into Columbia University, one of the best in the country, on his own merit. (Unlike George Bush, who got into another Ivy League school, Yale, on the coattails of his father and grandfather because he did not have the academic or intellectual stuff to get in on his own merit.) Obama later graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law (meaning in the top tier of his class) having also been the President of the Harvard Law Review, an honor in itself.

And then, after briefly flirting with corporate law, he went into the Chicago neighborhoods and spent three years as a community organizer. That kind of work allows you to get a real look at how the policies created in far away statehouses affect real people, in the neighborhoods where they live. It was a way he could give something back to people with less resources, less opportunity because he felt he had been so fortunate. It is a job that requires compassion. And self-sacrifice. It does not give much back except the satisfaction someone with character might get from giving to others, from building people into neighborhoods and communities. It won’t make you rich and it certainly won’t make you famous. Those are not the reasons why Obama gave his time and talent to those communities. What is it really – community organizing? It is the first line of public service and the most self-sacrificing. In fact it is exactly what John McCain did with his life and what he meant by saying he would take off his Republican hat and put on his American hat. It is putting Country First. Because standing up for the least powerful citizens, giving voice to the voiceless is one of the ways people with character help keep this country strong. After his work in the Chicago community he went into elective politics spending the next eight years in the Illinois State Senate.

So why did Sarah Palin stick a stiletto in Obama’s ribs by degrading that community service, belittling it and comparing it to her own experience which by her own estimation was much more worthwhile. Perhaps it is because her own history is a little less impressive. What Sarah Palin did was attend 5 colleges (one of them twice) in 6 years finally graduating from the University of Idaho in 1987. Her only other early accomplishment seems to be losing the Miss Alaska Beauty Pageant by a nose.

Let’s review:

Obama- Good enough to get into Columbia where he did well enough to get into Harvard Law, graduated at the top of his class and President of the Harvard Law Review. Then eschewing a lucrative corporate law career he spends three years serving the needy because he is a Patriot and a man of character.

Palin – wanders around 5, possibly 6 colleges (I wonder who paid) for 5 years finally graduating and then goes into the Beauty Pageant business, a line of work that is at least partially a narcissistic accomplishment and certainly has no hint of sacrifice or service to others.

Hmmmmm. If I were Sarah Palin I would lay of the sarcasm over community organizing. Her own resume is a little thin in the sacrificing service to others department.

Palin is a typical republican crook. McCain is senile and plain stupid for choosing her as his running mate. These two would only continue to pull America down as Bush has done. Palin being a heartbeat from the presidency is as scary McCain giving us four more years of Bush.

Let's not forget that she reduced the funding for homeless unwed pregnant teenagers in Alaska by 20% this year, reducing the funding from 5 mil to 3 mil 900.000 after the funding was passed by the Alaska legislature. She also cut funding for Alaska food banks

Responding to comment that her religion approves of pre-marital sex---not true--Christianity, the denominations and especially the 5 Pentecostal denominations and their constituents do not approve of fornication. True Christianity is not a religion and has nothing to do with immorality. Christianity has alot to do with Free Will and forgiveness and repentance and the power to live right.

If Palin won a beauty contest it must have been the same method Bush used. Stealing it. Here is a woman who has done nothing but get involved in one dirty deal after another and now wants your vote. If this weren't so dangerous it would be funny. The fact remains that John ( I was a POW ) McSame is out of touch with no sense of reality.

Sarah Palin has a history of immoral, unkind, and irresponsible behavior. She treats her family, polar bears, and wolves all the same. They are disposable and are to take a back seat to her political and monetary ambition. God help the people who are so blinded by the fear and smear campaign of the Republicans that they are willing to buy this hooey.

The fact that she can't win a beauty contest in Alsaska is very sad. They hardly have any women there at all.

ALERT! Readers of Common Mistakes, you’re imbeciles! How about some vetting of your liberal rag before moving on to a topic that requires some semblance of intelligence such as vetting the VP candidate??? First, it is Down syndrome not Down’s syndrome. Second, it is a syndrome not a disease or a condition. Third, “Mommakat” is “none too bright” herself if she truly believes that delivering a child with Down syndrome at 7 ½ months is a grave circumstance that automatically requires a stay in NICU. Fourth, having a baby in your 40’s is no more dangerous than the typical pot smoking, crack head liberal who has one in their 20’s. And finally, “ya’ll just jealous” because she’s an intelligent, good looking woman that actually has done something with her life unlike you clueless liberal women who sit around with your hairy armpits and pink tee-shirts complaining about everything and everyone even though you clearly don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. Once you check your facts, I’ll have the voter registration card waiting for you when you decide to change parties. Go Sarah!!!!

Hopefully, the “fair and balanced” moderator of Common Mistakes will have the courage to approve this response and subsequently correct the rest of the inaccuracies in its generously erroneous list of Sarah Palin scandals. Opps…that might require courage and quite possibly, the complete deletion of the blog.

Hi. Just a quick note in case you're wondering. I'm not a journalist so I don't have to be "fair and balanced." Just a guy running his own blog with a "bunch of opinions," as the blog yes. Ain't the internet a beautiful thing? Yes, I'm a Hillary supporter who switched to become an Obama supporter. Yes, I voted for Rudy Giuliani when I lived in NY. (Hmm, do you think Giuliani might talk differntly to New Yorkers than to national Republicans? Hmm, he does, doesn't he?) Yes, I'm a registered Democrat. Hope that settles that.

BTW, anonymous, I don't believe there is any known medical association between pot smoking and Down Syndrome (though it does supposedly make you sterile), as there is for the age of the mother.

The point of this particular post was to simply assemble all the scandals in one place, for easier reference.

BTW, if you want to fact check some of the scandals (as more facts become known), here's a site debunking a few of them (the debunked scandals, with the exception of the library scandal, have already been taken off the top 10). http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html

Most of these aren't scandals, just disagreements with Palin. Since the real scandels are telling enough (Troopergate, Bridge-to-nowhere--and you didn't mention that she KEPT THE MONEY for Alaska, Jews for Jesus--she was there, and the plane on E-Bay--where she didn't sell it, but rather sold it to a well-connected Republican at a loss to the state, which you don't mention) and discredit her claims about being a reformer (and are valid) why stretch things?

Sarah Palin ELOPED Aug 29, 1988 and gave birth to her son Apr 30, 1989. Figure that one out. Did she conceive on her wedding night?

McCain is a man who likes models. He got married to a model who was married to a buddy of his. They had three children. While he was held in captivity, she lost her looks and health in a bad car accident. He quickly moved on to others finding himself an attractive heiress.

If you believe in repetition compulsion, you might say Palin is just another model in a long line...

We aren't going to go the Dumb route are we? McCain comes off as addled as a senile old man... oh, that is because he is. McCain's convention looked like an add for the KKK. If you think Palin is beautiful I would hate to see your wife.

This one involves her son Track who was curiously sent to Michigan for a year during high school and enrolled in the Army without seeking college combined with a story of four teens who in 2005 vandalized an entire fleet of school buses in Wasilla combined with a theft/alcohol charge which resulted in the schools being forced to close for an entire school day.

Hmmm, how long before the whole truth around it is found. Noone just up and sends their 16-17 yearold son to live in a far away state for no reason.

HOW ABOUT LESBOGATE!!!!Why is it that no one wants to talk about Sarah the "lipstick pitbull" Palin's lesbian experience in the parking lot of West Anchorage HS in 1982?! You won't find that on talk radio. It's not on FAUX news. It appears that the Alaskans that know her so well all seem to know about it. So why isn't it news? That's right, another spite of hypocritical ommittance by the religious right!

I am so sick of the lies that are spewing from the mouths of the Republicans pitbulls (Rush, Hannity, Bortz, et al) that I had to stop listening to talk radio. These guys seem to forget that eight years ago our country was flourishing and we had a surplus, and a balance budget. Let's take a look at what we have gotten under Bush and the Republicans: hugh deficits, bigger govt., more people without jobs, more bankruptcies, more home forclosures, $4 a gallon gas, high food prices, weaker dollar, lower wages and less respect from our allies overseas. Now we are ask to vote for McCain/Palin and they will bring peace and prosperity back to the masses. Please, how can we trust McCain when he can't even answer a simple question regarding the number of houses he owns? OK, let pretend for a moment that he just couldn't remember ( after all the man is 72 years old); or is it because he couldn't tell us the truth since most of us are having a difficult time trying to keep the one house we have, and for him to tell us that he owns 7 houses, would clearly show that he is not like us. OR worse yet, this man is just a liar and would say anything to get elected. Please let's all wake up and do what's right for America. I am registered as an Independent but I will vote for the Obama/Biden ticket and I know they will bring about the changes that this country of ours really need after the last 8 years of sheer incompetence and waste at the highest level of our govt....DanR

OK, here's the deal. When have you ever known of another vice presidentual candidate coming right out and saying "I will not answer questions!" People, come on. Think a little. Now why would Palin not want to discuss her life unless there were too many skeletons in her closet. Why are the republicans avoiding answering questions on important issues? Look at their track record. America is in shambles from eight years of Bush. By the way, I am offended by what a British Comedian said. He called Bush a retarded cowboy. I beg your pardon sir, he is no cowboy.

I think LESBOGATE desrves more attention. I'm not slamming Gay people either. It's just that when someone tries to make themselves look so rightious and run others down for doing the same thing they do it is wrong. No wonder McCain has so many nervous tics. His eyes are constantly blinking and winking because he wonders what will come out next about his running mate. McCain has the look of a cornered rat. Talk about body language! He also needs to quit staring at her implants.

I still have'nt seen one proven fact for any of these scandles. The media would jump all over it if there was any proof. If you remember, Tom Brokaw made comments about Bush's military service without proof and it ruined his career because he was wrong. The national inquirer said there was a half boy and half bat born last week and lots of people thought thats was worth reading. So I guess I see why this site is doing so well.

You have no facts on her, but I do know for a fact that Obama went to a racist church full of very low intelligant people for 20 yrs. He'd still be there if it did'nt hurt his chance's on election day. Also I know for a fact that he thinks poor (bitter) people love there guns and religion. I need proof on palin other wise it's just inmature gossip.

If you would check out this site, Anonymous, http://www.ds-health.com/trisomy.htm, you will see that both Down Syndrome and Down's Syndrome are correct designations. But this isn't Sarah Palin's child. It doesn't add up. I call on Sarah Palin to submit to a DNA test to disprove my assertion. She won't do it because she can't do it. The DNA test will expose her lies. Bush's lies have got us into the illegal war in Iraq. Where will Palin's lies take us? World War III?

This site sticks rather close to the facts. My compliments. A group of individuals, including myself, that are made up of Republicans who want change, started to do some serious research and fact checking into Palin's record and background given the fact that she would be a heartbeat away from the Presidency should McCain be elected.

What we discovered was shocking. She and the McCain must have lied to the general public at least a dozen times during the past two weeks alone. Everything from her almost non-existent position on advancing wind and solar development, on how she obtained surplus earmark funds, having absolutely no involvement or direction whatsoever with their National Guard, to the fact that she definitely stated during that church speech: “God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to help get that gas line built.”

The list really just goes on and on. Her record with environmental protection is just horrendous, and she increased the State's budget spending by 22% in her first year as governor, despite McCain's claims to the contrary.

What troubles many of us is to see how this campaign is being controlled and distorted by certain media outlets. We counted 6 misrepresentations of the facts by both CNN and FOX this week alone. They seem to be pro-Republican, but in ways that are an embarrassment to our Party. We are in serious trouble as a nation if we allow these distortions to continue, unchallenged.

I'm pro-choice. That doesn't mean that I or any one else pro-choice is anti-life! These holier than though right-to-lifer's make me crazy. If they ever begin to choose to support legislation that protects children once they are born - or chooses to adopt a few, or foster - then, I'll have a discussion about pro-life. Until then, they are just enjoying their smug superiority. Look around right-to-lifers - the world is full of abused, neglected children - where's your 'moral outrage' at this?

Why hasn't anyone mentioned that under the Constitution's 14th amendment, which clearly states insurrection or rebellion against the United States Government, disqualifies Palin from running?The fact that her husband belonged to and she supported an anti-American group in Alaska makes it plain as day. Someone needs to address this.

Great list and sub-list. I think it is time to move the rape test kit thing into the top ten. That story is starting to get some legs under it.

Aside from being a "conspiracy theory" one of the problems with BabySwitchGate and some of the Palin morsels is that they are too complicated and / or nuanced for the public at large. I'm afraid that will happen with TrooperGate too. Or worse, it will make her look heroic.

I think people will understand Bridge to Nowhere and Rape Test Kit all too well. Also, saying that you can see Russia from Alaska as if that's foreign policy experience plus lying about going to Iraq are pretty easy to understand.

The disinformation out there by the McCain camp is working well on CensorGate. Just adding on the false detail that there was a "list" made the story easy to debunk and it is now considered toast.

Nobody really knows why she fired the police chief so that's a non-starter.

I think I have to take you to task a little bit on the Buchanan "somewhat anti-semitic" tag. He was perceived by some as anti-semitic during that campaign because he said Hitler was a "great general" much like you might say Hitler liked dogs and children.

That was the extent of his transgression. Given that one would have to be stupid to be so public with their anti-semitism it is more reasonable to just attribute that whole incident to stupidity.

I would think the term "perceived anti-semitism" would be more accurate and Palin, a candidate of whom I strongly disapprove, would naturally be drawn to Buchanan-style politics. I personally think this one is a non-scandal.

What about Wolfgate? She squandered over $400,000 of state money on propaganda to support aerial wolf and bear hunting and gives a $150 bounty on the severed left leg of a killed wolf. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQobIUE1zTU and http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm . This woman is vile and disgusting.

To 'REASON1': From your post it is argueable that evolution did not occur, you are not thinking from a more highly developed reasoning ability, but only believing things that reinforce your opinion and discounting anything contrary to your opinion as partisan...wake up!!.. this is how wars get started, then we all have to pay for ignoramus, unwise, "religious based" decisions like we've seen for the last 8 years.

Pathetic..I bet most things can't be backed up. Libs lets look at your PRESIDENTIAL candidate..quit focusing on our VP..we dont give a shit about yours. Obama's dirty laundry list isx ten times that! You just have the media on your side to sweep it all under the rug. Obama consorts with terrorists like Bill Ayers..his own wife is racist and his pastor..dig something up even close to that on McCain..I dare you!

I love how you guys keep referring to everything as something "gate" trying to make mountains of molehills.How about Obama..lets look at a few things and anyone with a brain and free will of their own that has not drank the koolaid please add to it..

#1. Obama's wife Michelle is Anti- American..she has proved it by not only saying she has never until now been proud of America, but by also not being present at 911 ceremonies..yet she was on the campaign trail only a day before. Dont ya think she would have been there on the most important day of all?

#2. Obama's pastor of 20 years is EXTREMELY anti-american and anti-white..please someone argue with me on this i would love to freaking hear it cuz u can't say a damn word. This mans' anti-white anti-american sermons are on tape. And your LIAR of a candidate said he never heard those things at any sermons he was at...right.

#3. Is Associated with known American hating terrorist Bill Ayers. This man donated to his Senate campaign and recently released a book of himself stomping on the American flag on the cover. Obama went to dinner parties at this man's house and did his community organizing with this man. The same man who is teaching young minds at a Univeristy in Illinois. The same man involved in over 30 bombings, one in which his girlfriend was killed, that was directed at a dance held for returning soldiers.

#4. Obama's self proclaimed mentor was Saul Alinsky. Read about this man on Wilkepedia. He dedicated his book to LUCIFER. He was a radical communist who in his own words said to do whatever it takes to gain power. Lie, decieve, cheat..whatever it takes. He also said don't rely on the poor, they are worthless...trick the middle class to follow you.

#4. He claims he is not muslim. If he is Christian why didn't he take on a Christian name. Christians who convert to muslim change their names. and dont say it was in his fathers honor. He didn't have a relationship with him past 6 yrs old.

This list can go on and on of his lies and deceit and the company he keeps. You are who you hang out with.

Someone else please feel free to add to this list!! It would wear me out to list it all

It is very concerning what limited access to Sarah Palin that the media has been given.

More concerning and scarry is Sarah Palin's parrot-like answers to any questions that are asked.

"Parrots have the distinction of being able to mimic human speech, studies with the African Grey Parrot have shown that some are able to associate words with their meanings and form simple sentences (see Alex and N'kisi)." - Wikapedia

Have fun with Mccain getting cancer again or getting alzheimers or having a heart attack with a ding bat becoming the most powerful person in the country. Its obvious she is clueless and that is why they wont let her speak to the media. But its cool, just vote for ineptness because you fancy yourself a republican. Then watch this woman destroy many lives in an already fragile country. The Bush devils rig two elections and now this, unbelievable.

Dear anonymous Of September 13, 2008 2:37 PM, Your statement 'Look around right-to-lifers - the world is full of abused, neglected children - where's your 'moral outrage' at this?' I find amusing. As a previous Republican blogger stated 90% of Americans are christians. Surely with that stat alot of those 'abused, neglected children must come from some of these christian families. It must be great to be a Christian knowing you can be given forgiveness for your sins (including murder apparently) every time you ask God!

Sarah Palin is a waste of life.. she is a skank pentecostal. creationism in schools is bullshit, i would home school my kids before letting them be taught creationism. She has no expirience, she cant debate, shes war crazy bitch and she deserves to die along with the rest of her pentecostal family.. fucking no good whore.. her family is the reason why people hate americans

Interesting. I agree but I think there are many more. I understand that she did not acttually sell the jet on eBay. As a professional working mother, I am offended that she seems to think her choices and opinions refelect mine. I'm tired of her cutsey ways....we need substance not bobble heading to lead our national. And, as a registered Republican, I am deeply disappointed in John McCain and his frivolous choice for running mate. Political grandstanding and hype won't carry us through tough times.

I don't understand why you're doing this. If somebody spent I don't know HOW many hours or maybe even days analyzing every single one of your mistakes, you would not be saying this. And you're no different than Palin herself. She actually has gotten somewhere and has influence and power in her hands. I dont think you do. Don't judge people because of their past.

And being pro-choice. Who is ANYONE to deny the right of a human being to live? Of course the baby isn't born yet, but it doesn't mean it's not alive. People who are pro-abortion really need to rethink this.

this is so stupid!politics are about who has the best ideas for our country..not who can come up with the most dirt!anti-abortion is a GREAT thing.the democrat that wrote this definitely was thinking because did you ever think maybe she just wanted another child?why would you think she just had it to make herself look good?and using all this oil isnt a good thing..but everythings gonna die out one day anyways.its not like alot of people go see a polar bear in antartica.people on this planet now,never saw a dinosaur or dodo bird.and no telling what other animals we didnt see.if this is all you got,its BOGUS!maybe you should check out all the democrats from the past before you try to dish out crap on Palin.besides,all this started with Bill Clinton anyways.saying Palin is like other republicans that have "ruined our country" or celebrities is crap.we might as well of had mick jagger as our president since we had Bill Clinton.but whatever.but if people would stop looking at all the negative things from the past, and start looking at the positive things for the future,we would have a better nation.i dont want anyone who cant do anything for our country but blackmail others as my president.i want somebody who learns from their own mistakes and cleans up their own mess before they mess with somebody elses.

condition: the particular mode or state of being of a person or thing or a state of health.

syndrome: a group of signs or symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease.

Who's the imbecile? I don't think it requires any semblence of intelligence to see that disease, condition, and syndrome are virtually one in the same for all intents and purposes.

Lastly, "ya'll just jealous"...spoken like a true imbecile! Sarah Palin has a family, a respectable career, she's made something of herself. Wait, that sounds just like me!, and every other woman I know! That doesn't make her qualified to run the country; because "she's intelligent, good looking and made something of herself." Hell, where do I sign up to run for VP if those are the only qualifications?!

Typical republicans drowning themselves with the crap that means nothing in an election this important. God help us!

Why? she is an evil horrible person. If this commercial doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. Click here for video

It also her having a Down baby really shows how she doesn't think with her right mind. Everyone knows that the older you get more chances that if you get pregnant, that there could be complications. i feel sorry for that poor little baby, that is has to go through life not living to the fullest.

I don't want someone like that as a vice president, and damn if something happens to McCain? She would then become a president.

One of my neighbors has a sign in their yard, that says McSame, LOL. I think that is so true.

Most people don't know about the "other" bridge-to-nowhere or as the "Don Young Bridge" or "Don Young Way". A bridge that Republican Rep. Don Young was able to get earmarks to the tune of $600 million for Palin to build. What's the catch? Rep. Young's son-in-law, indicted Senator Ted Stevens and three other notables own property that will increase when the bridge is built. Her push for the bridge was to "cut commute time down" which is currently 34 minutes. The average commute time across the U.S. is 25 minutes.

In the mean time the Beluga Whales (this is how I found out about her) are on the endangered species list. Fish and Wildlife Services are concerned that the Beluga Whales will be wiped out if this bridge is built. It should be no big surprise to hear that Palin is fervently trying to get the Beluga Whales removed from the endangered list.

So far over $40 million has been spent - - hmmm - - - does anyone think she gives a rats behind about the whales or really, about saving 9 minutes of commute time?

Today we hear that the Alaskan Legislative Panel has found her guilty of abusing her power in the Troopergate scandal.

Big surprise.

After eight years of this very kind of B.S. from the White House it still amazes me that ANYONE is considering keeping people like this in power!

You need to add "The First Dude built our home along with some of his 'construction buddies'." In the fullness of time, we'll come to learn that the contractors who worked on the mega sports complex in the town of 6,000 also "contributed" time and materials to the Palin home. Oddly, nearly all of the sub-contractors were contributors to Palin politically and they were obviously rewarded with plum jobs.

As former Senator Ted Stephens is on trial for corruption for accepting freebies from state contractors, it may "pale-in" comparison to the Palin home that "Todd built" with his buddies. What a talented guy.

Oh my GOD. I hate the liberals sitting and bitching at conservatives and vice versa. Go find some common ground. Don't be so God damned one sided people! Vote Ron Paul in 2012 and save the human race. haha

I only pray that if McCain wins this thing that God keeps him alive long enough so we'll never see her as president. One correction for you though. The idea that evolution is science is a stretch. Evolution is a theory, a belief based on what those who subscribe to it consider to be fact. To be a true science, it would need to be proven, in a controlled scientific experiment. Problem is, without a time machine, that can't be done so it will always remain a theory. Creationism is the exact same thing, a belief based on facts that creationists believe. Children should be taught facts and if/when beliefs are introduced, all sides need to be represented so that child can make up their own mind. You can explore creationism and evolution without bringing religion into the picture by representing both sides. Referring to 'a creator' does not involve any religion but gets the point across. That would at least give the child the opportunity to become curious and seek more information to make up their own mind. Also, how is it fair that a creationists child is taught something totally contrary to their beliefs when an evolutionists child is given the benefit learning and reinforcing what they hear at home. Doesn't make much sense.

Can you prove evolution? Yes you can. Here's how:http://godbegone.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-endogenous-retroviruses-prove.html

You may argue that these "proofs" are an inference, but all scientific proofs are by the nature of science an "inference." How do you KNOW that the world is round (have you put your arms around it?) or that electricity exists (have you seen it?) You can't go back in time to "See" evolution but you can't shrink to the size of an atom to "See" an electron so how do you know that exists? How do you know that Pluto exists if you can't "See" it when you look in the sky without a telescope (maybe telescope manufacturers are just painting it on there or it's just a reflection of the light?) How do you know Continental Drift is real since when you stand on the shore you don't see the continents moving? How do you know that compasses point north because of the earth's magnetic field rather than "god's love" or magic elves or something like that? You create a theory, you test the theory, and the evidence comes back to either validate or disprove the theory. If you get enough support, you build the theory. If not, you modify or discard it. That's ALL science is. You can do the same thing with evolution - in fact, everything from AIDS vaccines to cloning supports the theory of evolution - so it's a science. To argue otherwise is to misunderstand science.

Creationism, I'm afraid to say, does not fall into this category. Any reference to a "creator" is by de facto a religious reference since there is no test that can be made to prove either the existence of a creator or the validity of any religion or religious theory about the origin of the universe. That isn't to say that I don't believe in a God or a creator. Just that to state such a belief is not science, and shouldn't be taught as such.

I'd be perfectly happy to teach Creationism in a religious studies class. But not in a science class. That shit just makes Americans more stupid. And we're already stupid enough.

I flat out do not believe she has the brain stem to be in the White House. I'm convinced that she's not mentally sophisticated enough to deal with the intricacies of the issues that we face in this country.

I have faith that at the end of the day the voting public will agree that popularity isn't enough to get the job done.

to the idiot who said "she was well within her rights to fire" her sisters ex-husband. Wrong dipwad! You do not bring personal issues to work, if he did his job thats all she should have been concerned about. If he was abusing her sister, HER SISTER should have filed complaints and dealt with the situation herself. Not that I agree with anyone getting abused, but she had NO RIGHT to fire him for personal reasons. If he was fired due to something work related so be it, otherwise dont flaunt power. Its distasteful.

what about the 1/2 million dollar house built by "contractor Buddies"?? at the same time the sportsplex was being built down the road?ALSO, she is RIGHT NOW in support of the Bridge to Somewhere. Google Bridge Wasilla [at least the other one went to an airport, this one reduces her drive home by 35 minutes)ALSO why is she popular in Alaska $500 per in Washington pork, while the average for the lower 48 is $50.

In all the material I read about Palin......I truly believe she is a liar and a cheat and will do or say anything to achieve what she wants. She carries that poor child around like a sack of potatoes. Be a mother, show him some affection..........which he so greatly needs.

All you right-wingers here defending Sarah Palin and acting like this blogger has nothing on her really crack me up. I mean seriously. Especially the one that said she'd be our Vice President come November 5th... LOL.

Palympset, I just want to bring it to your attention that it was Ronald Reagan and the Republican party who abolished the fairness doctrine of the 1940's during Reagan's first term. That was the doctrine that required journalism to present a balanced view and this act paved the way for the one sided vomit popularly known as Fox News. In light of this any complaint by the Right wing regarding the media not being fair and balanced is complete hogwash, if they cared about it all they would have never abolished the fairness doctrine in the first place. It is revolting that they try to get away with this while maintaining a straight face.

Some of you are feeling the right argument, some of you like to run around in the same circle while smacking yourselves in the head with a frying pan. I dont care for the democrats or republicans...in fact in a system where lobbying is legal one should clearly understand that the system itself if flawed...it only serves those with greed and desire for power of control over others. The more we sit and argue whether our enemy is palin or obama is the more our true enemy goes unscathed....GREED! I will say Palin's vibe is flat out obvious that she is not a good soul, she is flat out negative and empty...for people to not see and feel this simply tells me most of you are still living the illusions of this world and will only trust what you read instead of what you feel from within, but then again the same people also say empathy is a disease, even tho is psychological terms empathy is what makes you human.

Not one of these are a scandal. These are a mix of lies about her (the affair), political actions she made (firing a drunken, abusive trooper, building a hockey rink, etc.), and pure opinion (that it is wrong to have a kid with Down's Syndrome).

Seriously, do any of you people apply this same judgement to your own lives, or your politicians?

About Me

Martin Schecter, author of cincritic.com, is a former movie critic for the Arizona Wildcat and book reviewer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He attended the NYU Cinema Studies program and has an MFA from the University of Arizona. He is also the former Executive Producer of the movie-review website, On2Movies.